Bonded
by xBakaTulipx
Summary: An AU look at Graduation Day Part 1


"_Really, we're just good friends."_

"_We're Slayers, girlfriend, the Chosen Two."_

"_What are you gonna do, B, kill me? You become me. You're not ready for that."_

"Okay then, give us a kiss."

Buffy's hand lashed forward and tangled in a cluster of Faith's chocolate hair. She tilted her head to lock eyes with dark slayer, watching the flames of animalistic rage flicker behind her irises. Buffy's gaze slid lower and focused on the scowl that crossed Faith's lips, teeth gritted, breath hot. She tightened her grip on Faith's head and pulled her close, violently pressing her lips to hers.

"_Let's call it a night, B." Faith said, waving her arm in an indirect gesture at the graveyard around them. "It's been three hours and no vamps. None. Count 'em. Zero."_

_Buffy glanced around and heard the crickets chirping. "It's pretty dead around here." She winced. "Listen to me, I'm so tired my punning powers are gone." _

"_I'm starved. Let's stop by the diner, grab some grub and you can walk me back to my place," Faith winked._

Faith slammed the blonde girl against the wall, pinning her against it with her knee, her hips pressed up against hers, grinding against her. She gripped Buffy's hands, pulling them out of her hair and pinned them against the wall above her head. She dug her fingernails into the flesh, until streams of blood trickled down Buffy's arms.

_Faith opened the door to her apartment and turned to face Buffy. "So, thanks for walking me back."_

"_No big. It's just… a couple of… miles out of my way." Buffy looked over Faith's shoulder into the darkened apartment and back at Faith._

"_Oh, uh, you wanna come inside?" she asked, motioning over her shoulder with her thumb._

"_Sure, I'd love to."_

Buffy jammed her knee into Faith's stomach, and prying one hand free, brought it across Faith's face with a loud crack. The brunette stumbled back and raised her hand for a punch. The blonde girl caught the punch and using the momentum threw her onto the bed. The brunette landed flat on her back and bounced once before she found herself underneath the other girl. "I suppose it's too late to say it didn't have to be like this."

"Yeah, B. Heard that one already."

"Faith," she hissed. Buffy leaned down biting Faith's lip, "do shut up."

"_Scenario. Angel walks in, right now. What do you say?" Faith whispered in Buffy's ear, one arm wrapped around Buffy's wait, the other gently stroking her arm. _

_"He can't. He needs an invite." Buffy said with a sigh._

_"Let's say he has one."_

"_Reply hazy. Ask again later."_

_Faith kissed the back of Buffy's neck, teething on the chain of the necklace Angel had given her two years earlier. "Oh come on, you tell me you're not thinking about it at all."_

_Buffy rolled over to look Faith in the eyes, "Me and Angel… it's…we just can't be. Not like this."_

_Faith smirked and kissed her, "And you like this, don't you?"_

"_Doesn't suck."_

Faith shifted her weight and tossed Buffy over her head, jumping up just as she landed on the floor with a thud. "So, B. Tell me, is he suffering?" Her foot pressed down against the blonde's stomach.

"Not as much as you will be," Buffy said, kicking Faith's standing leg, knocking her off balance. "Cause he's going to live. And you're going to die." She got up, wiping the blood from her mouth.

Faith let out a hollow laugh. "I always knew you'd choose him over me."

"You made the choice for me."

"_I had to cover for you last night," Willow cornered Buffy in the student lounge. "Your mom called at four in the morning. I told her we were doing a study/sleep double header, heavy on the sleep."_

"_Thanks Wil. You're a lifesaver."_

"_So," Willow nudged her best friend with her elbow. "How's Angel?"_

"_He... he's great, Wil."_

Faith rolled as Buffy's foot connected with her face. Faith caught the second foot and brought Buffy down to the ground next to her. "What? Not goodie two shoes enough for you, blondie?" She rolled over, laying on top of Buffy, pinning her arms to the ground.

"You're a murderer."

"Well I've got news for you. So is your undead honey, and if we're keeping score, he's been killing for way longer." Faith kissed her harshly, thrusting her tongue into the other girl's mouth.

Buffy bit down on Faith's tongue. As the brunette recoiled she retorted, "He didn't have a soul. You do."

"So do you."

"_I saw you with him." Faith stood with her back against the motel room door, as Buffy sat on the bed, gazing at something apparently fascinating on the floor. _

"_You know I love him, Faith." She said. "But-"_

"_Is this where you say but you love me too? Because if it is, you can just shove it up your ass."_

_Buffy threw herself to her feet and grabbed the other slayer's hands. "No, this is the part where I say, he and I will never have what you and I have Faith. We have a bond no one can ever share, and no one will ever. It's strong, you have to trust it. You have to-" a fiery kiss cut her speech short, cutting off her oxygen supply until she was quite dizzy and the entire train of thought pulled out of the station._

"_Sorry. Long speech. Don't wanna hear. Wanna fuck."_

"_Okay," Buffy whispered breathlessly._

Buffy finally found the leverage to throw Faith off of her, sending her through the window. Faith scrambled to her feet in the shower of glass, as Buffy strode out after her. "I'm not the bad guy," Buffy said, drawing Faith's knife and as a flicker of recognition flashed in her eyes, a searing white pain scorched her stomach.

"You killed me. With the bad guy's weapon," she gasped out, stumbling back a step. She gave Buffy one last glanced. Buffy was sure she saw the glimmer of tears right before she went over the edge, but she opted to lie to herself. She told herself it was just the streetlights. How else could she justify severing the bond between them?

--- 

Buffy paused in the doorway. She listened to the nurses outside, the beeping of the heart monitor inside. Slowly, she stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. She looked down at the bouquet of flowers in her hand and at the dried up ones in the vase beside the bed, the ones from her last visit.

She removed the wilting, dried up flowers from the vase and dropped them into the trashcan. Fighting back tears she picked up the vase and carried it into the bathroom, filling it up with clean water before replacing it and filling it with the bright new flowers.

Heaving a sigh, she lowered herself into the chair next to the bed and took Faith's hand in her own. "Hey… it's me again." She said. "I'm… I'm uh, starting college next week. This is going to be my last visit for a while." Buffy sighed. "Guess you're not really going anywhere." Buffy let go of Faith's hand and looked at the wall. "I made the wrong choice, Faith. We both did." Buffy pulled herself to her feet and headed for the door.

Hand on the doorknob, she paused. "I killed you. I became you."


End file.
